...JUST ANOTHER WEEK OF WORK....

 

I think this is one of my all time favourite pictures of the cabin...  This part of the deck is completed, and Jim got the lights around the windows and door installed... AND, fired up! He had the lights installed last week, I believe, but the electrics weren't going to them to power them up, until this past weekend...  I think it looks so beautiful... Jim wanted to take a picture at sundown so the lights would really show...and, he nailed it. There's some absolutely beautiful work going on here.

The balcony off the loft went in a couple of weeks ago, and Jim and Ben got the lights installed and the electrics is powered up also!  

Here's a closer show of the lights.

I bought this little set of chairs and a table about a year ago.  I always picture a little set like this out on the balcony... to sit in the morning, and have some breakfast or read the newspaper, first thing in the morning... or something along those lines.  I know my brothers are laughing right about now, because I just don't do mornings... So, I should say, I am envisioning "brunch" sitting here...  

Several years ago, we purchased some 100 year old, solid oak antique doors from an old school that was being torn down in Provo.  I really wanted these doors to go on the main level hallway... The brass lettering on the original doors had been taken off, and I tried to find exact duplicates, but couldn't find any.  So, I had these made.  Jim got the sign on the girls bathroom door put on this past weekend.  A matching door will be on the closet beside this bathroom and it will say "BOYS" .. We have a third door, it will be the bedroom door in the hallway... We are trying to decide what sign to have made for the bedroom door... Jim and I were thinking something along the lines of, "FACULTY" or "TEACHERS LOUNGE" or "STAFF"... what 'cha think?

I have this idea for the floor in front of the hearth... Code says if you have wood floors, and a wood burning stove, you have to have so many feet of ceramic tile in front of it.. just in case sparks fly out of the stove and catch the floors on fire.  We have ceramic tile that looks like wood that we are wanting in that area to match the patchwork floor that we are going to install... But, instead of a square section in front of the hearth, I want a semi circle of ceramic.  I bought some cement board as underlayment for the ceramics, and sent it with Jim.  He laid it all out with the cement board under the ceramics and the wood floors next to it, so we could see how they would all fit together.  We found out that the ceramics and the cement board is too tall to blend in with the wood... So, we had to go to plan B.  You can see in this picture, that the ceramics is a little too tall for the wood...

But, this is kind of what I want it to look like...  I want a patchwork look to the wood floors... It's a little busy, but I think we can tone it down with area rugs and really neutral furniture.

The solution to our problem...  Expanded metal...I went out on Sunday afternoon and purchased the expanded metal to get ready for this next weekend... I drive a Kia Soul, but this stuff fit in the back of it just perfectly.  I have fit a tandem bike in the Kia, so I didn't have any doubt this would fit easily...

In my travels on Saturday, I found this cookie jar and I thought it was perfect for the cabin.  I was telling Jim about it, and got a loud groan from him.. I then sent him a picture, and he agreed with me... it's perfect for the cabin... The bear wearing Canadian red and black plaid, holding a rainbow trout... Perfect!  And, so cute!  We are one of those couples who always have to have cookies in the kitchen.  The cookie jar we have in the kitchen in Provo was a wedding gift from years and years and years ago - actually, 45 years ago...... My friend, Lynn gave me a set of canisters, and the flour, sugar and cookie canisters have survived!  I am still going to use them, but, I have had to have the bear.

Jim is working to get the  Four-Way inspection done in the next couple of weeks...  The Four Way includes, electrical, plumbing, furnace/heating and construction...  We have already had the inspection on the plumbing and the construction, and the furnace is installed, but we are still working on the duct work... And, the last little bit of electrical is being completed.  

Here's the ceiling fan that is going in the loft.  For the four way, we have to run the electrical wires, and put whatever fixture in place... so, even though we don't have sheet rock installed, we have to put up things like can lights, and ceiling fans... There is one more ceiling fan to go in and that's in the great room... We have cathedral ceilings (23 feet from the floor to the bottom of the ridge beam) and Jim says we are going to have to put up scaffolding to get it installed.  I know this is not one of his favourite things.. He doesn't want to be like Michaelangelo working on the Sistine Chapel - laying near the ceiling on scaffolding, on his back...go figure.  I told him I thought he should have Ben do the job because he does all this hiking, and rappelling stuff...  Giggle... 

I think it looks pretty cool...  My job this week is to find some ceiling fan blades that I like... Jim always says, "Cheri loves to go shopping", so this is my area of expertise.

Jim deconstructed one part of the wall out in the kitchen preparing for the refrigerator to go in.  The refrigerator has been hanging out in the basement, but we are just about ready for it to have a change of scenery.  It's getting a little old going down a couple of sets of stairs just to get to the refrigerator...  My knees just don't want to co-operate.  (On a side note, I have my third of three Euflexxa shots tomorrow morning, so I should be rockin' for another six months after this one... It's an excited/not excited kind of moment...).

I had some cedar planters made for the deck... I want some plants/greenery on the deck just to make it feel a little more homey.  I am thinking lavender, but, don't know what I'm going to end up with... 

On the subject of greenery, I purchased a couple of Red Maple trees to go beside my Aspens in front of the jacuzzi.  I bought two trees and they are about 2 - 3 feet tall right now...  I named them "Moose" and "Maple"...  I hope they like the elevation, and hope the stupid deer don't like Canadians... The internet said that Red Maples are not a favourite of deer.... Sure hope not.

This is the smaller tree... named "Moose".

Here's the larger tree named "Maple".. I know..... I have a flair for the original...

We were in Calfornia last week, and we stopped at a Burger King for a quick bite to eat... it was late at night, and we drove to the airport straight from work, so we were a little hungry... As we were driving up, we saw "Pepe Le Pew" running along side the building... and, plastered up to the side of the building was a Burger King employee.  If it were me, I would have been freaking just having a skunk run beside me...The employee didn't move... not an inch...  The next night, Jim and I were walking to our 5th wheel, and again, saw a skunk running down the road... We pulled a Burger King employee trick and froze..  I have never seen skunks in California before.. I am sure they are there, but usually we are in really populated areas, and they seem to be more in wooded areas.  Then, the next morning, I was cooking breakfast, and from the back of our trailer, and to the side of the trailer, there was a grey fox running...  I called to Jim to take a look, and he was quick enough to see the fox... (My calling to Jim entails me saying...  "Quick, quick, quick.. take a look" very loud.... but, Jim caught the drift!).  I have not seen any skunks or foxes at the cabin, however... We have seen coyotes, lots of those stupid deer, and cougars - in fact, one rude cougar pee'd on our front door...  sigh...  cabin life.

The summer adventure is ramping up... I believe this summer is going to be amazing.

Love, Jim and Cheri

"Life is fluid, not a solid.  It changes. Be ready for it"

 

It's always ups and downs...

 I swear, it's always something...  Jim made it to the cabin on  Thursday night, and on Friday, he noticed this little issue..... Since being evacuated a couple of years ago because of fire, we are a little sensitive when we see smoke now... It was super windy on  Thursday, so I called the fire department and the sheriff's department for information.  They said, not to worry, it was a controlled burn by the Color Country Fire Department... uhuh... I think that's how the last fire started...  sigh...

Back in Provo, Jim has been noticing that things in the backyard were being knocked over, and he couldn't figure out why...  On Wednesday afternoon, he found the "kids" that were doing the damage... they really didn't care they were being destructive... Can I just say, I really don't like deer... either at the house, or at the cabin...

Jim and Ben started working on the balcony off the loft bedroom on Friday... On Saturday afternoon, Jim sent me pictures of the "surprise".  I am absolutely thrilled... The balcony turned out beautiful.  I bought a little table and a couple of chairs to fit on it, so that we could sit down and have breakfast or watch the stars in this area.  Jim and Ben have done meticulous, beautiful work...  

Jim had good intentions of continuing to build the deck.  Jim bought the lumber and took it to the cabin... and then....rain delay.  So, the lumber is sitting on the deck, getting wet... sad face.

Jim got the 2nd light fixture put up on the back deck and I think it looks fantastic.  We picked the fixtures out a couple of years ago, and they have been patiently waiting to make an appearance.  Here they are in all their glory!!

Upon coming back to our cabin this year, we have noticed that someone has taken the liberty of removing our retaining wall blocks from our property. 12 blocks have been stolen and each block cost $200.00. It also cost us $450 to have them brought from Salt Lake. Our neighbour noticed that the blocks have been disappearing over the winter, but they thought it was us moving them. At one point, he said one block was at the side of the road, and he was afraid his snowmobile was going to hit it when he came out of his driveway.... Eventually it disappeared. We have contacted the Sheriff's department and with the number of blocks that were stolen, this constitutes a felony.

My advice is to secure everything around your property, put up cameras, and if you see anything out of the ordinary, call someone and report it.

This next part of the post is actually the 2nd weekend Jim was at the cabin. I've been crazy busy and haven't had/made the time to update the blog... so, this is the 2nd part.

Jim and Ben have been working to complete the railings on the deck and this is the next part of the process. This is to the back deck about to go around the corner to the front deck!

This picture gives you a little bitt idea of what they were doing... The different colour in the wood is from the aging of the deck... The part on the left was put in several years ago, and the wood on the right is just from this year.  I believe that Jim is going to sand it down and retreat the whole deck so it all looks uniform.

I absolutely love the colour and markings that redwood has. 

Just before Jim sent me this picture, I called him, and he kept coughing and choking... was having trouble breathing...  He told me he had just swallowed/inhaled a bug... and, couldn't seem to get his breathing under control... then he send me a picture of redwood with a bug on it... giggle.. I don't think it was the same bug... Poor wee soul.

And, if you remember, a year ago or so, we had a fire up on the mountain and extremely high winds which just fueled the fire.  We had the loft door open and it blew a lot of things inside the cabin down... One of the things was my moose that was on the hearth... Jim had a little time during the weekend to start a little plastic surgery and get the moose's antler and ear back on...

And, the 2nd thing that was demolished was this little towel cabinet for the loft bathroom.  It was totally demolished and was laying down the steps going from the loft to the great room...  It was amazing, but the glass doors did not break, and Jim was able to put the cabinet back together.. I am so grateful that Jim knows how to fix this stuff... I sure don't know how....  Usually when I have an idea that I would like Jim to complete for me, he looks at me with this totally glazed look on his face, and then asks me to draw a picture... Takes him a couple of days to figure it out, but he always does, and we move forward.  This was one project that he knew how to complete without all the hand gestures and wrong words that I spill out...  I totally loved this piece, and I must admit, I was really heartbroken when I saw it laying in pieces on the stairs... Looks beautiful now.

Jim is going back to the cabin this weekend to continue the fight... It's not warm enough for me to go yet, but slowly but surely, it's getting there..

In the meantime, another amazing adventure..

Love, Jim and Cheri

"Beauty is only plywood deep"

Memorial Day Weekend!!! WooHoo!!!

Can I just say... I love the sky when it's dark and so mysterious looking...  Jim sent this to me over the weekend, and I think it looks beautiful... I always think these type of pictures look like everything is deathly quiet and ominous..  I love it.

And then Jim just sings. . .

There's a storm across the valley, a mile away or so,. . .

And then there's a pause, and

There's a fire softly burning, supper's on the stove

It's the light in your eyes that makes me warm

… Hey, it's good to be back home again

Sometimes this old farm feels like a long lost friend

Yes, and hey, it's good to be back home again . . .

… well there's all the news to tell him, how'd you spend your time?

What's the latest thing the neighbors say

And your mother called last Friday, sunshine made her cry

Felt the baby move just yesterday...

And another pause. . .

 

… Hey, it's good to be back home again, yes it is

Sometimes this old farm feels like a long lost friend

Yes, and hey, it's good to be back home again

… Oh, the time that I can lay this tired old body down

Feel your fingers feather soft on me

The kisses that I live for, the love that lights my way

The happiness that living' with you brings me

… It's the sweetest thing I know of, just spending time with you

It's the little things that make a house a home

Like a fire softly burning and supper on the stove

The light in your eyes that makes me warm

… Hey, it's good to be back home again

Sometimes this old farm feels like a long lost friend

Yes, and hey, it's good to be back home again

… Hey, it's good to be back home again, you know it is

Sometimes this old farm feels like a long lost friend

Hey, it's good to be back home again

I said, hey, it's good to be back home again. . .

The words aren't exactly accurate but the thought comes right from Jim.

Well, we got the skidoos all tuned up and taken back to the cabin, all ready for next season.  They needed a major overhaul, and they got it!  This one is trying to escape during the drive down.  Jim came to the conclusion that the covers and not for travel...  

Here they are BEFORE the escape was aborted...

The work on the deck continues...  Little by little it is getting finished.  I don't think that Jim and Ben feel it should be called "little"... being that a lot of this work is a full day of labour..

Decent pieces of redwood are getting harder and harder to come by.  We had to go to Home Depot and Lowe's to find just a couple more pieces... At Home Depot, there were 77 pieces that were in stock, and Jim found only 8 pieces that were useable - barely....  Of the 4 x 4 pieces, there weren't any in Provo.  Jim had to drive to Cedar City (southern Utah) to find some.  They were supposed to have decent pieces, but when Jim got there, he found that their 2 x 4's and their 4 x 4's were in such terrible condition.... lots of knots and splits, and of those pieces that had a little bit of life in them, one half was decent and the other half was split.  Jim talked to the sales guy, and he got a pretty decent deal... He picked out the best in the bunch, and the sales guy marked them as 70% off.  Jim had to do a cut and paste job, but made it work...

But, Ben is really getting into the spirit of the situation, and is becoming one with the deck....

Once again, Jim went to Home Depot before heading south, and bought enough pieces of redwood to complete the one part of the deck... or so he thought.  He got all the pieces he purchased screwed into the deck, and realized he was short about a foot and half on 2X6's. See that little triangular piece... yep, that's what he was short.  He called me later in the evening and said he couldn't find a single little piece around the cabin to put in that space.  I told him to forget about it, and just find any little piece fir or pine to put in there... it will be under the ballusters and nobody will ever see it.. BUT, he told me that he would know it's there so he was going to buy another 8 foot piece...  But he found the last piece under the legs of the scaffolding!  Eureka!  He stole it and it worked.

... still working on the deck...

And, here's the section from above with the balusters in place.

And, yes, the guys have to break for lunch... When I am at the cabin, I always make sandwiches for the guys... with fruit or potato chips or soup.. or something.  I haven't been at the cabin but once this year, so Jim has taken my place as chef.  Apparently, he makes a pretty decent lunch.. I don't see Ben complaining.

And, here's the decking all completed!  I think it looks absolutely beautiful.... It just needs to be sealed, and it's a done deal.

Here's the other side looking just as beautiful...

And, remember those Aspens we planted last fall... Well, they survived and they're growing leaves.  I am so stoked...I hope the stupid deer don't make lunch out of them... I think I need to buy more of the plastic to go around them... at least to cover the new leaves a little bit.

You can't see this guy too well, but he's in there.. .just growing little leaves!

And, here's one of the plants from last fall... The internet said that it was deer resistant, but after one afternoon without the covering around it, the deer thought it was delicious, and it was chewed down to zip.  But, it looks like it's making an appearance this spring!  Stupid deer...

Jim picked up the last of the flagstone just a couple of days after picking up the first load, and stacked on top of the other rocks... So, we are now all ready for the outdoor shower to be built...That's going to be a crazy project, but I think it's going to turn out absolutely beautiful.

Jim has started to put the lights around the doors.. Here's the first one... we have all the fixtures and they're probably go on this next weekend.

Little by little, we're moving forward.. and, as always, the adventure continues.

Love, Jim and Cheri

(I am not going to be sending my blog to various people any longer...  I am sick to death of all the negative that comes afterwards... Sorry...)